Kneeling chair
A kneeling chair is a type of chair for sitting with neutral spine (WP); a position with the thighs dropped to an angle of about 60 to 70 degrees from vertical (as opposed to 90 degrees when sitting in a normal chair), with some of the body's weight supported by the shins. The shin support differentiates it from other chairs that offer the same riding-like sitting Invented in the late 70s, and based on the work of Dr. A. C. Manal in the 60s and 70s, this way of sitting became known throughout the world, starting with the Balans brand, especially the Balans Variable, and eventually manufactured by other companies, which eventually took to calling it the "computer chair". History In Buddhist tradion a bench or a pillow is often used to create a kneeling-like position that can be maintained for extended periods of Zen meditation (WP) discipline. The weight of the torso is lifted off the ankles and the forward tilting seat opens up the angle between trunk and thighs putting the back into its natural S-shaped alignment.S-shaped alignment of neutral spine The original kneeling chair of modern times was the Balans chair, which was developed in 1979 by Hans Christian Mengshoel and the designers Oddvin Rykken, Svein Gusrud and Peter Opsvik. In 1979 Mengshoel initiated the concept of sitting devices for the kneeling postures in Norway and registered the brand “balans”. The three Norwegian designers; Oddvin Rykken, Peter Opsvik and Prof. Svein Gusrud developed chairs based on this principle and all these chairs had the common denominator Balans included in the product name. Then this way of sitting became known throughout the world. One chair in particular sold in high volumes in Europe, USA and Japan; the Balans Variable, designed by Opsvik. Scandinavian design The artistic culture that fostered the chair's invention and creation was the Scandinavian design movement, characterized by simplicity, minimalism and functionality that emerged in the early 20th century, and subsequently flourished in the 1950s throughout the five Nordic countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland. Scandinavian designers were known especially for household goods including furniture, textiles, ceramics, lamps, and glass, but Scandinavian design has been extended to industrial design such as of consumer electronics, mobile phones, and cars. Sure, it is sort of a stupid concept, that all of a particular product from a nation or region excels. The same aesthetic appreciation of the artists in Scandinavia, and the rich in England and America, could be and was as easily adopted by the artists in other parts of the world. But in the early part of the 20th C, it was early days yet in the appreciation of the cultures of other countries that mass communication and world travel would foster. It was an appreciation for the art of other white people in another European country, and it was a bourgeois, consumer appreciation, with little thought to making it part of one's life beyond that. Bohemians and Beats and Hippies would learn about art and clothing and music and customs, from Asia and Africa and everywhere in between, and practice these arts and customs themselves. Norwegian Wood Just because The Beatles were center stage in the movements of the 60s does not mean necessarily they understood the significance of what was going on around them. Case in point: Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (WP), in which the protagonist, or unreliable narrator if you're being charitable, conveys his host's opinion of her own furnishings: "Isn't it good / Norwegian Wood" but "looked around and (I) noticed there wasn't a chair" Lennon and McCartney of course killed name dropping boasting with the former line, but utterly missed the point with the latter. McCartney said that cheap pine wall panelling was then in vogue in London, and the term "Norwegian Wood" was a sarcastic reference to it. But the phrase, which they must have overheard many times at Chelsea (WP)or Chelsea-populated parties, would have been referring to the Scandinavian furniture and such ubiquitous among the many belongings of the rich, whether they were cultured enough to understand its significance or not. No chairs? Hardly. Quite the opposite, in fact. The situation described is thus a mishmash conflation of two fundamentally opposed cultures: the late 60s hippie anti-materialist beanbag chair / no furniture culture, utterly opposed to everything status quo, and the plastic Mac (plastic Macintosh) clean and modern early 60s jet set, agog and wide-eyed at all the Keen and Nifty things that science and capitalism run amok could afford them. Purpose The intended purpose of a kneeling chair is to reduce lower back strain by dividing the burden of the weight to the knees as well as the buttocks. People with coccyx or tailbone pain resulting from significant numbers of hours in a sitting position (e.g., office desk jobs) are common candidates for such chairs. However, it is not proven that kneeling chairs are an optimal solution. A proper kneeling chair creates the open body angle by lowering the angle of the lower body, keeping the spine in alignment and the sitter properly positioned to task. The benefit of this position is that if one leans inward, the body angle remains 90 degrees or wider. A misconception regarding kneeling chairs is that the body's weight bears on the knees, and thus users with poor knees cannot use the chair. In a proper kneeling chair, some of the weight bears on the shins, not the knees, but the primary function of the shin rests (knee rests) are to keep one from falling forward out of the chair. Most of the weight remains on the buttocks. Another way to keep the body from falling forward is with a saddle chair. This type of seat is generally seen in some sit stand stools, which seek to emulate the riding or saddle position of a horseback rider, the first "job" involving extended periods of sitting. Academic studies Conclusions from scientific work on the possible benefits of the kneeling position point in different directions. Dr. A. C. Mandal’s research from the sixties and seventies concluded that a forward sloping seat did effectively tip the pelvis forward opening up the angle between torso and thigh and thereby correctly align the spine, indicating a more suitable position for long periods of sitting. Drury and Francher studied the original Balans kneeling chair in 1985, concluding that overall it was "no better than conventional chairs and could be worse than well-designed conventional office chairs." Lander et al. conducted another experiment in 1987 comparing the kneeling chair with a conventional chair and concluded that their experimental data "do not support the manufacturer's claim that the Balans chair is likely to decrease complaints of pain". A 1989 study on a sample of 20 subjects concluded that the Balans chair promoted greater lumbar curvature than the "straight back chair" during relaxed sitting, typing and writing and that it could contribute to treatment of lower back injuries. A more recent study from 2008 confirms that "ergonomically designed kneeling chairs set at +20 degrees inclination do maintain standing lumbar curvature to a greater extent than sitting on a standard computer chair." Ericson and Goldie studied spinal shrinkage in subjects using three different types of chairs while performing video display unit work. With a sample size of eight people, too small to be scientifically significant, they found that subjects shrank more when sitting on a forward sloping chair with knee support than on a conventional chair. There is no corroborating evidence via replication of the results by other studies. Riding-like sitting Riding-like sitting or balanced sitting includes a sitting posture that approaches the natural resting position. A forward sloping seat encourages this natural posture, which is the same as when lying on the side while sleeping. The lumbar curve is preserved, the joint angles are open, and muscles are well-balanced and relaxed. This position is exactly the same as when riding a horse: the rider sits upright and at the same time maintains a lumbar lordosis because of the downwards sloping thighs. Riding-like sitting or balanced seating is the most suitable position for long periods of sitting. Forward sloping seats and higher desks can eliminate lower back strain and even prevent chronic back pain. It also relieves pressure on the lungs and stomach and provides greater mobility. The advantages compared to conventional furniture in terms of pain, flexion and comfort are documented in several scientific studies starting with research by A C Mandal, MD, and recently reviewed, updated and discussed by T Mandal with several references to research and the revised European (CEN) standards for educational furniture that includes balanced seating options. See also * Partial squat * Riding-like sitting * Neutral spine * Saddle chair =Links= *Variable balans The original kneeling chair Peter Opsvik, 1979 References http://www.norskindustri.no/moebel-interioer/balans-a-design-revolution-article6265-192.html The Federation of Norwegian Industries about original Balans doi|10.1016/0169-8141(89)90017-6}} pmid|15676532}} pmid|2954222}} pmid|2813518}} e pmid|18810008}} Further reading * * link * Torsten Mandal 2009: "Better furniture types for work and studies reduces bending and pain". Association for Body Conscious Design. http://bodyconsciousdesign.com/uploads/mandal_article.pdf *https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1221031105119301632?s=19 Category:Partial squatting position Category:Sitting Category:Spinal cord Category:Physical exercise Category:Prevention Category:Posture Category:Chairs Category:Human positions Category:Ergonomics Category:Kneeling Category:Norwegian inventions Category:1970s inventions Category:Health promotion Category:1970s introductions